The Special Day
by tiriko
Summary: Naruto's birthday is coming up. It seems Team 7 has forgotten all about it. Will it be his worst birthday ever? And a certain masked man and a pony tailed guy make an appearance which would never be remembered. NaruXHina, SasuXSaku.
1. Chapter 1

Author: "I don't own Naruto.." (damn it!)

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Team 7 was returning back from a mission. Naruto was feeling as energetic as ever.

"Hell.. I'm starving like anything... Hey, Hey, Kakashi Sensei, how about treating us to ramen?" Naruto shouted, jumping in front of Kakashi, and walking backwards, facing the rest of them.

"Uh-huh.. I have an urgent business I have to attend to." Kakashi replied, trying to escape the situation.

"What! This is not fair.." Naruto yelled, pointing a finger at his sensei.

"Bye guys.. catch you later!" And Kakashi was gone in a poof.

"Naruto, why don't you eat something else for a change?" Sakura asked.

"But Sakura-chan.. Ramen is the tastiest food in the world.." Naruto complained.

"Idiot.." Sasuke mused.

"Did you say something, bastard?" Naruto glared at Sasuke.

"Ramen is the reason why you are so weak, dobe." Sasuke told him.

"Did you call me weak just now?" Naruto slitted his eyes.

"Yeah. Are you deaf too?"

"You jerk! How dare you- I will beat you to pulp" Naruto started attacking Sasuke with a flurry of punches, which were all dodged by Sasuke effortlessly.

"Heh.. as if I you could." Sasuke smirked.

"Hey! Stop attacking Sasuke, Naruto. Anyway, I'm going home." Sakura said.

"Huh.. Sakura-chan! Tomorrow is off for us, right? Do you wanna come on a date tomorrow?" Naruto grinned at Sakura.

"You dumbass! How dare you ask me to a date! But Sasuke-kun, I will agree if you ask.." Sakura looked longingly at Sasuke.

"Hn.. I have training to do." Sasuke was not interested.

"But Sakura-chaaan... Tomorrow it's my-"

"I told you to shut up, Naruto. There is a ton of things my parents asked me to do. Anyway.. who would want to spend a day with the likes of you!" Sakura waved him off.

"Oh.. that was mean, Sakura-chan.." Naruto felt a little downcast.. "Hey! Then can I train with you? Sasuke?" Naruto asked hopefully.

"Nopes. It will be a waste of time if I hang around a weakling like you." Sasuke smirked.

"Why you-!" Naruto was taken aback.

"I'm going home." Sasuke said, already walking off.

"Sasuke-kun! Wait, I will come with you till that corner. Bye Naruto!" Sakura ran after Sasuke.

Naruto stood there for a while, looking at their backs. He hung down his head. "But tomorrow is my birthday.." he mumbled.

He sighed, then slowly turned to walk to his own apartment. The sun was already setting. He suddenly felt all alone. Till last year, his birthday was just another day, and no one took special notice of him. Not that he complained, but he had hoped for a better one this time, since it was his first birthday after being a part of team 7. Kakashi sensei, Sakura-chan, Sasuke, they meant so much to him now. Almost like a family. But was it the same for them? Did they even know he cared so much about them?

He trudged back to his apartment and ate some of ramen that was left over from the day before. He looked at the mess around him. Usually he did not mind. But today he needed something to distract himself. So he gathered up all the empty ramen packets, and put them in the trash bin. Then he scrubbed the floor till it reflected his own image and washed up all his dirty clothes. Satisfied with the effort, he went to take a long shower and flopped into his bed, all exhausted.

On the bedside table, was the framed photo of their team. He took it and stared till little tears formed in his eyes. He smiled a little, and clutched it to him, thinking of all the little sweet moments he had with them. Somewhere in the middle, he fell asleep.

"Sasuke-kun! Wait, I will come with you till that corner. Bye Naruto!" Sakura ran after Sasuke.

Sakura caught up to Sasuke and glanced back at Naruto, who was slowly walking away, heads down. "Uh huh.. were we a little too harsh on him, Sasuke?"

"Hn.. it's alright. He can take it." Sasuke said.

"I hope so. It will be a real surprise for him.." Sakura smiled.

"Yeah." Sasuke curled his lips in a tiny smile.

"Then I will go help Kakashi sensei buy all the things required for tonight's party. Is your apartment decorated, Sasuke-kun?"

"Nopes, I am going to do that now."

"Alright! Meet you there then."

"Hn.."

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How was it? Please let me know =) Any kind of criticisms are welcome.. B) I will come up with the next chapter soon..


	2. Chapter 2

Sasuke's apartment was lively for the first time ever with the Konoha 12 and their senseis busy with the party arrangements.

"Sasukeee.. Heellpp.. I am gonna faaalll.. Oooww!" Sakura fell off from the ladder, caught just in time by a Sasuke who almost flew over. Both landed on the hard floor, toppling over each other.

"Ouch! Thanks.. Sasuke-kun! You saved me.." A reddish hue was blotting on her cheeks.

"Get off me, Sakura. You are heavy." Sasuke said.

"Uh-huh... right." Sakura was smiling like an idiot.

"Hey! You bitch! How dare you fall on Sasuke!" Ino was at Sakura's throat at an instant.

"Heh.. That is what I call luck. And you are the bitch." Sakura lashed back, giving an evil grin.

"Can you both shut up and help me stick these balloons over there?" An annoyed Shikamaru asked them.

"Don't you act too bossy! Shikamaru! You are just too lazy to do it yourself.." Ino shouted at him.

"I'm feeling hungry.." Chouji was saying, looking at Tenten arrange the big b'day cake at the centre.

"You will have to wait till N-Naruto-kun arrives, Chouji-kun.." Hinata's eyes were reflecting the candles she was placing around the cake.

Neji was byakuganing the place for ideal hiding spots for the glitter sprayer.

"Gai sensei! How can I master the fine art of decoration?" A serious Lee was asking his sensei.

"Watch me! Lee.. You are going to witness the great master at flower making! See.. You have to take a bunch of ribbons like this and do a jutsu like this.." Gai was whirling around with a load of colorful ribbons, when Akamaru jumped through the chaos, his eyes fixated on the cake.

"WOOF? WOOF?" Akamaru asked happily.

"NOOO.. AKAMARU.. YOU CAN'T HAVE THAT!" A helpless Kiba was hanging by Akamaru's tail and ended up messing Gai's ribbons, tying Gai up completely, a flower like formation on his head.

"Ooooh.. that was awesome! Gai-sensei.." Tears flew down an inspired Lee's cheeks.

"Is this what you call the flower of youth, Guy?" Kakashi asked Gai, his eyes curved upwards in a smile.

"Kakashi! If you call yourself my eternal rival, UNTIEE MEEE..." Gai cried out.

Asuma and Kurenai were having a low conversation in one corner, while a listening bug was creeping up towards them.

"T-That is not polite.. Shino-kun!" Hinata was stammering.

"Yeah! Way to go! Shino!" Ino cheered him.

"Maintain silence. It will be dangerous for us if they sense it." Shino was serious, as usual.

Sasuke took a look around himself. The decorations were looking good. Heh.. that idiot.. he will really be speechless. He thought with satisfaction, glancing at his watch. It was already eleven thirty. Time to go pick Naruto.

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PLEAAASSEE REVIEW.. :) :) :)


	3. Chapter 3

Sasuke peeked in through the window of Naruto's apartment. It was too dark to see anything. He slowly climbed in and crept towards the bed. Something cracked beneath his feet. He stopped, catching his breath, to see if he had waken Naruto. Nothing. He slowly bent down and picked the thing under his feet. It felt like a frame.. He tilted it so that it caught the moonlight. The photo of Team 7.. Why was it lying on the floor? Wait.. where is Naruto? He stared at the bed. Now that he was near, he could see that it was empty.

Hell.. did something happen here? The room did not look as if any fight had taken place. But Naruto was nowhere to be seen. Where did he go off to, in the middle of night?

"Naruto!" Sasuke called.

No answer. Was it a prank that idiot was trying to pull off? He was considering the option, when he saw something that cleared away all the doubts. He hurried to switch on the lights. Blood. There was a dark stain on the bed, on the floor, and on the frame he had picked up.

Should I go back and inform the others? Or should I just go ahead looking for him? He thought the latter option was better, since the others were already expecting them. If he got into some tight spot, they would come looking. And he was not sure if he had any time to waste. So he hurried outside, trying to find any clues as to where Naruto was taken. He found yet another bloody spot and followed that direction. Soon he was hot on the trail of Naruto, following the bloody spots.

"Naruto.. Stay alive till I get there." Sasuke muttered.

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Naruto was being sucked into a dark sphere the size of a mountain. He tried to resist, but the force was just too strong. He screamed. But his voice would not come out.

That was when he was jolted awake by the terrible sense of tiredness that crept up within him. What is this feeling.. he tried to sit up, but found that he could not. Every inch of his body was screaming in pain.

"What the-" Naruto tried to concentrate chakra into his arms. Huh? He felt like he had been drained of all his chakra. What is happening? That was when he saw it, the silhouette of a man standing beside him.

"Who are you! What are you doing here?" Naruto gasped.

"Let us just say I am a shinobi who knows the true worth of a bijuu."

"What the hell do you mean? And what did you do to me?" Naruto roared, still unable to move.

"Curious.. aren't we? Heh.. know this, you don't stand a chance against me in this state. So don't even bother trying to fight. I am taking you to a place where I can extract your little burden from you. You will be freed of the kyuubi.. Isn't that what you have always wanted?"

"I won't let you do that!" Naruto shouted.

"And how do you plan to resist?" The man chuckled.

Naruto gritted his teeth and tried to move his hands with all the strength he had. Ughh.. it was too painful. Black dots swam over his eyes, threatening to make him unconscious.

What should I do? Naruto thought frantically. There was no way he could get out of this.

That was when he noticed something hard near his arm. The photo frame! Yes, he could do this.

He bit his teeth while he dug his arm deep into the sharp edge of the frame, he gulped back a scream, when it cut deep into his skin and drew out warm blood. This should do.

If any one would come looking for him in the morning, they would sure find a trail of blood. That was when he remembered.. There was no mission tomorrow. No one would miss him. By the time any one found out, it would be too late.. The whole world turned black for Naruto.

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Did you like it? Or hate it? Any suggestions? =) Review and let me know!


	4. Chapter 4

Sasuke charged forward, pursuing the trail of blood that had become feeble by now. He was now in the edge of the forest that marked the village's border. He could now sense a sinister chakra far ahead. He silently raced ahead into the forest. If Naruto had gone down without even a fight, the opponent must have been strong. He should be careful. He masked his own chakra.

After a while, he could see a clearing in the midst of the trees. He quietly dropped to a walk, hiding behind the trees. There they were. Naruto was lying on the ground, tied by chakra fed chains. He seemed to be unconscious. The back of a man was visible to him. The man was writing something on the ground around Naruto, with blood. A sealing jutsu? As he watched, the man stopped writing. Blue chakra appeared on the fingers of his right hand. With that, he turned to Naruto and started bending towards him.

"Stop right there!" Sasuke shouted, racing into the clearing and throwing a shuriken to the man's hand. The kunai went straight though his hand, while the blue chakra disappeared. He slowly turned towards Sasuke. His face was covered by a mask, with a hole for one eye. Sasuke stared at the eye. A sharingan?

It wasn't Itachi. Who was this guy? Was this the third one about whom Itachi was talking about on that day? Anger seeped into him, as he tried attacking the man with several shurikens.

"That won't work on me, Sasuke-kun." The man replied calmly, while all the kunais went straight through him.

"Who are you? How do you know me? And what are you doing to Naruto?" Sasuke shouted.

"I am not interested in telling you any of that, not yet. Maybe another time, when you have grown a little and have discovered the full power of your eyes. It would be a waste if I kill you, so it is better if you run now." The masked man told him.

"What makes you think I'm going to run!" Sasuke made several seals with his hands, and an intense fireball engulfed Tobi in its flames. Tobi was still standing there, unscathed, as if he was not there at all.

"You are stubborn. I will have to capture you too if you go on attacking me like that, Sasuke-kun." Tobi extended his hand in front of him and a heavy chain sprang out his palm. Sasuke dodged, appearing behind Tobi in a flash, a kunai aimed at his throat.

Tobi turned slowly, not at all flinching as the kunai went straight through his neck. "Sharingan, eh?" Tobi wondered, looking at the one tomoed sharingan that had appeared in Sasuke's eys. "I should have expected nothing less from Itachi's little brother. But you are still no match for me."

Tobi pointed a finger at Sasuke. A blast of force sent him crashing against a rock. Sasuke fell to the ground, covered in blood.

"Sasuke.."

That was when Sasuke noticed that Naruto's eyes were open, barely. "Naruto! Are you alright?" Sasuke shouted at his teammate.

"I can't move a finger. It hurts.. dammit!" Naruto mumbled. "But thanks for coming, Sasuke." A little smile had lighted up his face. "I never thought you would-"

"Dobe." Sasuke said, with a hint of a smile. "Just hang in there, can you?"

"I'm not that weak, teme. Don't worry about me." Naruto replied.

"Hn.." Sasuke was thinking of a way to defeat this guy. What should I do? Sasuke thought, sweating. This guy is too strong for me. And Naruto is not in a position to fight. Attacks seemed to be useless on this man. If physical attacks did not work, he would have to resort to genjutsu, but he was weak in that. And moreover, he could tell that this guy was far better at it.

The best he could do was stall for time with the weak genjutsu he had. Others will be coming in search of them soon, or so he hoped.

"Hmm... what should I do with you?" The man was saying, studying Sasuke's figure. "I guess I will just have to kill you. Don't take this personally, Sasuke-kun." The next moment, the man was standing in front of Sasuke. Sasuke felt the gloved hands clutching his collars. He strained against them as he was lifted from the ground. The sharingan eye stared into his own eyes.

Now was the chance, Sasuke thought, concentrating on the image of a kunai stuck into the man's sharingan eye.

"What the-" The man gasped, loosening his clutch on Sasuke. Sasuke grabbed the chance to escape his clutch and raced over to Naruto. He reached over and touched the chain binding him. That was when he felt another shock of force, sending him sprawling through the air. He hit the ground with a bone crushing pressure. Sasuke tried to stand up, but the pain was too much. He fell down in a heap.

"Using genjutsu on me with that underdeveloped eye, eh? You are full of surprises.. But it is still too weak. You don't stand a chance of defeating me. I will finish you off now."

The man sent a dozen kunais in Sasuke's direction.

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Naruto watched as the kunais flew to the motionless figure of Sasuke. He gritted his teeth in the pain that was binding him. He had to help him, somehow. Suddenly, a figure of a man appeared in front of Sasuke, facing the masked man. The kunais stuck the new figure and stopped.

"Aren't you forgetting something... Tobi?" The figure asked the masked man. The next instant, he disappeared, and a flock of crows flew away from were he was standing. The kunais dropped to the ground.

The masked man, Tobi turned to face the figure who was standing behind him, now.

"So you found out my little plan, eh? Itachi..."

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Hehe =D How was that? I wanted to make things a little bit interesting. Reviews? plz... plz.. =)


	5. Chapter 5

Kakashi glanced at the clock. 12:30. What's going on? Sasuke was meant to be here at 12:00 with Naruto.

"Kakashi-sensei, why are they so late? Is Naruto that hard to wake up?" Sakura asked, worried.

Kakashi looked around. Everyone was waiting quietly now, some had even started dozing off.

"Even if it is that hard to wake him up, Sasuke would have dragged him here asleep.. No, I think something might have gone wrong. Guess it is best to go and check. Sakura! Gai! Asuma! Kurenai! Let us go and check on them. Everyone else, stay here. If we are not back in 30 minutes, go and inform the Hokage, and send backup.

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Naruto stared at the man called Itachi. Who was he? Why did he remind him so much of Sasuke?

"Hey! You with the ponytail! That masked man is dangerous! Attacks go straight through him!" Naruto yelled at Itachi.

"Don't worry, Naruto-kun. You are lucky, because the only one who stands a chance against this guy is me." Itachi said, glancing at Naruto sideways.

"Huh?" Naruto stared at him stupidly.

"Tobi, I told you not to lay a hand on Sasuke, or on Konoha." Itachi said calmly, looking back at Tobi.

"You should have told him not to interrupt my plans." Tobi replied.

"If you kill him, I will have no choice, but to capture you and tell the whole truth to Konoha."

"You think you can capture me?"

"I have watched you long enough. Defeating you is not beyond me."

"Then why don't you try it?"

Naruto looked on as the duo stared at each other. What is happening? They were not moving an inch, but seeing the concentration on both faces, they looked as if they were straining hard. Suddenly, Tobi disappeared in a swirl, appearing behind Itachi.

"Itachi! Behind you!" Naruto warned.

Tobi extended a hand. The image of Itachi started swirling for a second, and stopped immediately. Now Itachi was facing Tobi. Tobi put out both hands before him and started pulling Itachi. The figure of Itachi burst into crows again, the real Itachi appearing behind Tobi who was still pulling the crows. A kunai went through Tobi's neck, who suddenly vanished and appeared in front of Sasuke's motionless form. A small cut showed on his neck.

"He did it! He managed to get him!" Naruto's eyes went wide. "Way to go! Pony-tail guy!" Naruto cheered.

"Not yet. You are a worthy opponent, Itachi. But even you would not attack me if it means Sasuke's death." Tobi pointed a kunai at Sasuke's neck. Silence followed. Naruto could practically feel the tension in the air. Tobi slanted his head as if he was listening.

"It will turn out bad for both of us if those five see us. It's better if you give up now, Tobi. " Itachi said, after a while.

"Five, huh? One is pretty weak to be even considered a threat. And I can take the other four quite easily." Tobi replied.

"Not if I am on their side. And it will be the end for you if you are defeated here. I am giving you another option. Leave. I will make sure they do not remember anything." Itachi said.

Tobi slitted his one sharingan eye. His hand slowly retreated from Sasuke.

"Damn you! You are a thorn in my eye, Itachi." He warped himself in, and disappeared.

As Naruto looked on, Itachi went over to Sasuke and knelt down beside him, propping Sasuke in his lap. He seemed so sad, Naruto thought.

"Hey! Pony-tail guy! Thanks for saving us, dattebayo.. By the way, who are you? Are you a ninja of Konoha?" Naruto asked him.

Itachi closed his eyes and placed his right hand over Sasuke's head. Then he gently placed him on the ground and walked over to Naruto.

"I am sorry, Naruto-kun.. I am not supposed to tell you that." Itachi said, coming near Naruto.

"Why can't you tell me? Is it a secret or something?" Naruto pouted.

"Something like that." A tiny smile was visible on Itachi's lips. He performed some seals and touched his hand on the chains. The chains started falling away from him.

Naruto tried to move. "Aaarrrgghh..." He yelled from the pain.

"Don't move yet." Itachi said, making some more seals and placing a hand on Naruto's chest. He felt the pain slowly subsiding.

"You are awesome!" Naruto admired.

"Look at my eyes." Itachi said.

"Huh?!" Naruto stared at the strange red eyes, confused. His eyes resembled sharingan, but different somehow. He felt like his mind was being searched.

"Naruto... Look after Sasuke." Itachi said, softly.

"Yeah.." Naruto mumbled, and fell asleep.

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Keep reviewing =) It inspires me! =D I am even thinking of bringing this story to the current timeline.


	6. Chapter 6

Naruto woke up to the gentle motion beneath him. Where was he? He slowly opened his eyes. It was very dark, and someone was carrying him on his back. Kakashi-sensei! Where was he? Why did he feel like he was forgetting something important?

He glanced around himself. He saw Sakura supporting Sasuke, as they sped along with him and Kakashi.

"Don't try too hard, Sasuke, maybe it will come back if you don't think too much about it." Sakura was saying, worried.

"Wazzz going on?" Naruto mumbled.

"Oh! You are awake, Naruto?" Kakashi asked, glancing back at him.

"Kakashi-sensei.. where are we going? And how did I end up here?" Naruto was confused.

"So you don't remember anything too?" Kakashi asked.

"Remember? Uhh.. Hmm.." Naruto concentrated hard, his eyebrows pulled together as he thought back. He remembered falling asleep at his home, clutching the photo."Yeah! I fell asleep in my bed.." Naruto told him, which earned him a sigh from his sensei.

"Then?"

Then... Then what? "I don't have any idea what happened after that. Why are we in this forest, Kakashi-sensei? Shouldn't we be sleeping?" Naruto pouted.

"Naruto, it seems you and Sasuke were taken captives after you were put under some sort of genjutsu." Kakashi told him, thinking hard. It still didn't account for the cuts and gashes on Sasuke, as if he had been fighting someone. And Naruto was dangerously low on chakra, Sakura had discovered. Something weird was going on.

They had discovered them in the middle of the forest, both lying unconscious. After a thorough search of the area, no clues had turned up about the enemy. All traces had been expertly cleared. When Sasuke came to, they discovered that he did not remember that happened after reaching Naruto's home. His memory had wiped out from when he entered Naruto's room. After learning everything they could, Kakashi told Gai, Asuma and Kurenai to go on ahead to Sasuke's apartment and inform others to carry on with the surprise party. At least some things should go right.

"We were taken captives? But who would do that? Why would they want both of us?" Naruto asked.

"I don't know, Naruto. I will inform the Hokage on this incident. But we don't have anything to lead us on to the enemies." Kakashi could not tell him that they wanted only Naruto, Sasuke might just have been an interruption to whatever plan they had.

Naruto was looking at Sakura and pouting. Sakura was smiling foolishly with Sasuke's arms around her. Sakura caught him gazing at her.

"What are you staring at, Naruto!" She yelled at him.

"N...Nothing, Sakura-chan!" Naruto gulped.

"Hah! I am glad you two are okay. I mean, I would've been sad if something bad happened to Sasuke.." Sakura chanted happily.

"But what if something had happened to me, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked, anxious.

"That would have shut you up for some time.." Sakura said, with a I-don't-care-at-all attitude.

"Sakura-chan!" The bulb in Naruto's face was switched off.

"Heh.. baka." Sasuke smirked.

"You shut up! Teme! By the way.. where are we going, dattebayo! My home is that way.." Naruto pointed a finger in another direction.

"Right. But we have another mission today, Naruto!" Kakashi smiled.

"Mission? In the middle of night? Is it some A-rank mission only I can handle, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto was almost jumping in excitement.

"A-rank? heh.. just wait and see, Naruto! It will be better than you expected. And stay still. You are heavy already."

"Better? Is it an S-rank, then?" Naruto's eyes were wide with enthusiasm.

"You wouldn't be allowed within a hundred mile radius of an S-rank mission, idiot." Sasuke told him.

"Yeah! You will mess it up, anyway." Sakura supported Sasuke.

"Hey, Hey.. I am the guy who will become the Hokage. So they need to train me earlier on with tough missions like this." Naruto grinned happily. But really? Am I that worthless? Naruto kept the doubt to himself.

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**I am being lazy.. =/ I will try better next chapter! Please review =3**


	7. Chapter 7

Sasuke dropped a sweat as Sakura's hold on him got a little tighter. It was a matter of moments before her head would be on his shoulder. Not that he minded her helping, considering the condition he was in, but couldn't she realize she was being a little too obvious..

He knew Sakura had a deep crush on him, from back in their academy days. Now though, it was more than just a crush, she was loving him too much for her own good. Sasuke was not exactly indifferent to her either, but he liked to keep his distance, for her own safety. His life had only one goal, revenge. And he would be devoted to nothing else till he attained it. Killing Itachi is what his life is all about, not even love could distract him from that. And Sakura was only going to get hurt if she got in his way of hatred.

"Sakura, I'm alright now. You can let go." Sasuke told her.

"A-Alright, Sasuke-kun.." He saw the disappointment in her face as she grudgingly let him go.

Sasuke sighed silently. He needed to tell her the truth soon, before it got too late and messed up her life. But it can wait for now.. His thoughts were back on their mysterious memory loss. He was missing something. Even though he had tried so many times to replay the scenes in his mind, it always ended blank just after he got inside Naruto's room. What happened after that? How did he end up in the forest with Naruto? He glanced at Naruto, who was chattering non-stop to Kakashi, who seemed to be blissfully caught up in his own world of thoughts. Kakashi caught Sasuke glancing at him and winked.

Sasuke relaxed. Whatever happened, they were safe for now. Probably the Hokage would investigate further and find some clues to the strange incident. Besides, today was a special day for Naruto. He did not want to ruin it for him. He smiled as he thought of it.

"I can't wait to see Naruto's face at our little surprise." Sakura told him in a low voice. She was smiling too.

"Yeah.." Sasuke smirked.

They were approaching his apartment now. He could tell that it was all set by the glow of candle light coming from his room. He hoped Naruto would not sense the unusual amount of chakra from all the people gathered inside.

"Hey Sasuke! Isn't your apartment around here somewhere?" Naruto was yelling at him.

"Right. It is over there." Sasuke pointed out in the wrong direction.

"Oh! Yeah! I think I can see some buildings." Naruto squinted.

Idiot.. there were no buildings there, just a park. He was worrying for nothing. Sasuke rolled his eyes as he wondered how stupid Naruto could get.

They reached the building where his apartment was and stopped.

"Hey! Hey! Why did we stop, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked.

"Uhh... I sensed the enemy's chakra from this building. We are going inside." Kakashi told him.

"Aahh! I get it. We will go in stealth and ambush them, right?" Naruto adjusted his headband, grinning. "It is time they saw Uzumaki Naruto in action."

"Heh.. They are going to faint when they realize you are such a stupid ninja." Sasuke couldn't help retorting.

"Naruto! Don't go head on and attack them, alright?" Sakura was genuinely worried now.

"Let's go guys." Kakashi smiled at them.

"Yeah!" Naruto yelled.

Kakashi and Naruto took the lead to the stairs, while Sasuke and Sakura followed close behind. They raced through the stairs and along the maze of corridors. As his apartment came into view, Kakashi held a hand out to stop them.

"Sasuke! Sakura! Now!" Kakashi ordered them.

The two charged ahead and caught up with Naruto, who was staring at Kakashi in confusion. Sasuke caught him in a stranglehold from behind while Sakura managed to get a tight hold of both of his hands.

"Wha- Teme! Let me off! What the hell are you doing? And Sakura-chan.. You are hurting my hands.. What's going on? If it's about attacking head on, I am not that stupid, you know.." Naruto struggled against them.

Kakashi glanced at them to ensure Naruto was being safely held. "Open up! Naruto is here!" He called, banging at the door and stepping aside.

"Huh.. do they know me?" The confusion on Naruto's face was priceless.

* * *

Naruto stopped fighting and stared as the door opened slowly before them.

A soft glow of candle light gleamed through. He squinted at the sudden brightness inside. His jaw fell open in disbelief. It felt as though he was looking at heaven itself, in its full splendor. Candles glowed everywhere, some even seemed to be floating in the air. And the bunches of balloons hanging all over the room were reflecting them so beautifully. As his eyes adjusted, he found that the room was packed with people. Now he could make out their faces.. There was Hinata and Tenten at the centre with a huge decorated cake in front of them on a small table. Off to their sides were Chouji, Kiba, Shino, Shikamaru, Ino, Neji and Lee. Behind them stood their senseis. All were smiling at him.

He walked in slowly, holding on tightly to Sasuke and Sakura on his either side. As he took in the scene with wonder, they slowly broke into the birthday song. Sakura joined them singing, while Kakashi and Sasuke stood by him, smiling. The song was so soft and slow, yet filled with such a warmth that Naruto felt a weird feeling of joy swelling up inside him. They knew it after all, they knew it was his birthday! A smile crept up his lips, replacing the initial amazement.

The song ended in a thunder of applause. Waves of glittering graffiti hit him from everywhere, and balloons were sent flying. Somoeone put a pointed hat on top of his head and he was dragged to cut the biggest cake he had ever seen.

"Happy birthday, Naruto!" Kakashi said, his eyes curving upwards in a smile.

"Happy b'day! Naruto! You didn't expect this, did you?!" Sakura was laughing.

"Happy b'day dobe." Even Sasuke was smiling at him.

Naruto stood in a daze, taking in everything. Then he broke into a wide grin.

"Yeeeaaaaahhhhh! It is Uzumaki Naruto's birthday!" He yelled, putting his fist up in the air. "Time to celebrate!"

He reached for the knife to cut the huge cake. Everyone was in high spirits.

"Chooouujii.. Just control it.. will ya? It is his b'day, after all!" Ino was shouting at a cake-struck Chouji.

"The spring of youth is noooow! Let us enjoy it! Come-on Kakashi, I will beat you at cake eating!" Gai shouted.

"Uh-huh.." Kakashi dropped a sweat.

"Asuma.. " Shikamaru warned as Asuma slowly retreated from Kurenai, their faces pink.

"Woof! Woof!" Akamaru's barks added to the chaos.

Naruto was laughing as he cut a piece of cake and stuffed it in his own mouth.

"NARUTO! You idiot- you are supposed to give the first piece to Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura scolded him.

"Oh, really? I'm sorry! Didn't know that! Here, Kakashi sensei!" Naruto cut a piece of cake and put it ungracefully in the place where Kakashi's mouth should have been, if not for the mask. He ended up smearing the whole mask with cream.

"Uh.. Thank you Naruto.. " Kakashi told him, although his eye was flashing as if he wanted to kill him..

Sakura burst into a fit of giggle. Sasuke seemed to have a difficult time keeping his smile in check. Naruto cut two more pieces, took them in either hands and stuffed Sakura's and Sasuke's mouths, choking them. He pointed at them and broke out into uncontrolled laughter.

"HAHAHAAA.. HAAHAHHOOOHOO.. *gasp* HAHAHAAAHAA.. *gasp* YOU TWO LOOK FUNNY.. *gasp*" Naruto said, clutching his stomach.

"ddttt.. *cough* ..gugu." Sasuke growled, taking a handful of cream and throwing at Naruto. The cream stuck squarely on his face, dripping to his clothes.

"Haaaaaaaaahhhh! You deserve that idiot.." Sakura followed Sasuke's lead, this time upturning a whole bottle of champagne down on him.

"HELP!" Naruto yelled, running around the room, trying to escape his attackers.

"NOOOOOO! What have you done... MY CAKE!" Chouji let out a wail and pushed away everyone else aside, while he scooped and gobbled up what seemed like more than half of the remaining cake.

"You dumbasss! How could you do that to us... Now what are we gonna eat?" Kiba cried out despair. An annoyed Akamaru growled ferociously at Chouji, who protected the remains of the cake with his life on line. Neji and Lee advanced on him cautiously from either sides.

"There goes the golden chance of proving my youthfulness.." Gai sighed, putting his palm on his face.

"N-Naruto kun is having such a good time.." Hinata blushed, observing Naruto run around the room, chased by his teammates.

Shikamaru let out a huge yawn. "Eating cake traditionally has become so troublesome.." He observed, trapping the cake's shadow through his technique and pulling it out of Chouji's reach.

"You won't get away with that!" Ino jumped to rescue the kidnapped cake, ending up being dragged with it.

Tenten giggled as she switched on the music. The speakers blared out a frightening horror beat, punctuated by blood-curdling screams. "MUHAHAHAHAAA. LET'S ROCK! GUYS!" She yelled out.

"Wha-" Neji stopped in horror.

"Wh-what is that sound.." A frightened Hinata hid behind Kiba.

"You call this music?! STOP THAT THING YOU DUMBASS!" Ino yelled at Tenten.

"Cultures have changed, right Guy?" Kakashi glanced at Gai, dropping a sweat.

"If that is the case, THEN WE WILL CHANGE TOO! GRAAAAAAHHH.." Gai did a Henge no Jutsu and turned into a scary monster.

"..?.." Hinata fainted.

"Aaaaaaarrghhh.." Sakura stopped chasing Naruto and screamed as the monster jumped in front of her and advanced slowly.

"HEY! I have an awesome idea!" Naruto told himself and did his Harem No Jutsu. Two eye-popping Naruto ladies appeared and clinged to a flattered Asuma. Kurenai turned even scarier than the monster Gai.

Kakashi found everyone busy screaming. This is the chance! He thought, cuting off a piece of cake with his long range raikiri.

Shikamaru looked at the cake that had been charred black. "There goes my cake."

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**Coming up in next chapter.. Sasuke's dance with Sakura! Keep reading and reviewing! =D =D **


	8. Chapter 8

Sasuke took a look around himself and sighed. The room, which he had always tried to keep so spotlessly neat was now unrecognizable. Cream was puddled all over the floor, he himself had to admit responsibility for that. Oh well.. he had to put up with it. It was for Naruto, after all.. And that horrible music.. It was giving him a headache.

"Tenten.. would you mind changing the music?" Sasuke asked her casually. Tenten was the only girl around whom he felt safe.

Tenten giggled. "I thought it would be a nice innovation, Sasuke! Alright, if you think it is that bad, I will change it." Tenten went over and changed the music.

Sasuke relaxed at the silence. That felt better. He did not quite expect what was coming next.

The crowd ooohed and aaahed as a romantic song filled the room.

"I could've kept my mouth shut.." Sasuke regretted, as he saw Sakura and Ino looking at him as though he was the b'day cake.

"Sasuke-kun... can we dance?" Ino asked, her voice sugary.

"Sasuke-kun... will you dance with me?" Sakura asked, her voice rivaling Ino, at the same time.

Both stared at each other. He could almost see the ice between their eyes.

Now what am I gonna do? He glanced around for some escape route. What he saw made his eyes pop out. Kakashi and Gai were dancing? Gai seemed to be quite enjoying it as he swung around with Kakashi across the room, barging into people once in a while. Kakashi seemed to be really uncomfortable, scanning silently for any opening to escape.

And it was not long before Asuma led Kurenai into a graceful dance, both looking gaga at each other.

A beet red Hinata was approaching Naruto and poking her fingers together.

"N-Naruto-k-kun.." Hinata told her fingers.

"What is it? Hinata-chan?" Naruto grinned at her curiously, looking clueless.

"Uh-h.. I-I..You..You.." Hinata was saying.

"Umm... I'm not really getting you... Hinata-chan.." Naruto pouted.

"I.. w-wanted..to.." Hinata was sweating now.

"Hey Hinata-chan! Forget it! How about dancing with me? Do you mind?" Naruto asked her happily.

"...Y-Yes..I-I mean N-No.." Hinata looked ready to faint again. Naruto quickly took her hands and started swinging her around, grinning happily.

Sasuke smirked. That idiot, he was so clueless. That brought him back to his own situation.. He turned just in time to see Sakura landing a punch on Ino and coming racing in his direction. I'm trapped. Sasuke thought.

"Sasuke-kun... Come on! Let us dance.." Sakura took his arms without even waiting for a reply.

He suddenly found himself swinging Sakura around, hesitatingly. This was not as bad as he imagined.. He thought. After a while, they were sweeping through the room gracefully when suddenly they bumped into Naruto and Hinata.

"Hey! Teme.. Sakura-chan! watch out! Aww Sakura-chan! I wanna dance with you next!" Naruto shouted happily.

Sasuke glanced at Hinata just in time to see a little disappointment in her big eyes.

"Heh.. he is so stupid.." He said softly to Sakura.

"Yeah.. he has no idea Hinata has a crush on him." Sakura observed.

They both smiled, and their eyes met. For a moment, time seemed to stop. Sasuke stared at her deep green eyes, which were shining in the candlelight. He had never realized they were so beautiful. And the intense way she was staring at him.. He found he could not look away. A voice somewhere far off in his brain was scolding him.. Itachi.. revenge.. But it all felt like some nightmare to him just now. His arm moved on itself and pulled her head close to his own. They were so close now, that he could feel her warm breath on his face. He closed his eyes. Their foreheads touched, and it was a matter of moments before-

"Aaaarrghhh.. Watch out! AKAMARUUUU... NOOO.." A ball of fur slammed into them, making them jump apart in shock. Sasuke saw that the dog's eyes were covered under a hat, and it was running around blindly, panicking.

"AAwww... So sorry to interrupt guys.." Kiba let out an embarrassed laugh and went off chasing Akamaru.

Sasuke looked at Sakura, who had turned a deep shade of red and was studying the pattern on the floor. He bit back a smile and sighed.

That was when Kakashi finally found an escape from Gai's stranglehold, thanks to Akamaru.

"Aah.. guys.. I hate to say this.. But it is 3 o'clock already. And Gai, Asuma, don't your teams have missions tomorrow?" Kakashi asked.

"Uggghh.. You are right.." Asuma replied.

"Is it 3 already? Wow.. time flew so fast." Kurenai added.

"Alright then. Guess it is time to get some sleep. We don't want to make the Hokage furious." Gai said.

"Yawn.. let us leave then. Hey where is Shikamaru?" Ino asked.

They found him already asleep at the corner of the room, accompanied by Chouji who had brought up snacks from thin air, and was chewing on them.

Everyone turned to leave. Realizing their tiredness, they hurried to give a parting wish to Naruto before they left, accompanied by the senseis. Only Team 7 was remaining now.

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**=) It's not over yet.. But was this chapter good enough? Pleeeaseee review... =3**


	9. Chapter 9

Naruto felt so happy that he was yelling goodbyes and good nights at everyone's backs. The grin he had on must have been really wide, because Kakashi, Sakura and Sasuke were staring at him weirdly.

"What! Do I look weird?" Naruto asked them, pouting.

"Eh.. You mean besides the fact that your face is creamy and your hair looks like a christmas tree?" Kakashi asked.

"Naruto! Aren't you feeling tired at all?" Sakura asked him.

"Hehe.. This is the happiest day of my life, Sakura-chan! And I can't let tiredness ruin this, dattebayo!" Naruto scratched his head, knocking down a cherry to the floor.

"You are weird, I guess." Sasuke commented.

"Aaah.. Look who's speaking!" Naruto stuck out his tongue.

"Naruto! I have something for you.." Kakashi said, reaching into his pocket.

"Heeyy! What's it? What's it? Is it a gift?" Naruto peered at his hand.

"Take this." Kakashi said, giving him a small box.

Naruto took it eagerly and pried it open. Inside was a small square piece of mirror, framed delicately with wood.

"Huh? A mirror?" Naruto was confused.

"Try running chakra through it." Kakashi suggested.

Naruto concentrated and touched the mirror with chakra. Nothing happened for a second. Then suddenly, a globe of white light appeared above the mirror. Naruto felt something tugging at his heart. He stood there amazed, as something warm filled up inside him. He felt so happy he could fall over and faint. Then as quickly as it appeared, the globe of light went out. But the feeling remained inside him.

"Wh-What was that? Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked, his eyes as wide as it could go.

"What? I did not see anything.." Sakura frowned at Naruto.

"Is it the mirror of joy?" Sasuke asked, studying the mirror and Naruto's expression.

"Yes. This mirror absorbs all the negative emotions you have. The feeling will last for about ten minutes, independent of the amount of chakra you feed into it." Kakashi told them.

"Wow! This feels just great. I- I feel so light.." Naruto admired the mirror.

"But what is the use of it, if it lasts only for ten minutes?" Sakura asked.

"It is used mainly in battles, where there is a chance that emotions can turn the fighter reckless. It is something I bought when I visited the country of Mist. It should be useful to you, Naruto!" Kakashi said.

"Thank you so much, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto jumping on to his sensei and giving him a bear hug.. Kakashi looked surprised at first, then he smiled, hugging him back for a while before setting him down on the floor.

"And this is from me, Naruto!" Sakura extended a little notebook towards him.

"Sakura-chan! What's this?" He took the book and turned the first page. A recipe? He turned the next, another recipe?

"Heh.. It is a series of recipes for making special powders which will turn your Ramen healthier. Each one differ in taste and flavor. And this is a sample. Try it Naruto! I'm sure you'll like it." Sakura gave him a little packet.

"Hey.. thanks Sakura-chan! Now I can eat as much Ramen as I want!" Naruto grinned.

Sasuke handed him a shuriken that looked weird. "This is for you. You'll find it useful."

"Huh? A shuriken?" Naruto said, inspecting it.

"It is not a usual shuriken, idiot. Once you throw it at the enemy, it will utilize his chakra and turn into a smoke bomb, blinding him for a little while."

"Whaaat! That is amazing! Sasuke! You can be real nice at times, ya know!" Naruto said, sticking his tongue out.

"Baka! It will actually help balance your stupidity in our missions!" Sasuke held his head in an irritated attitude.

"It will not! Err.. I mean I'm not stupid!" Naruto grumbled, as Sakura giggled.

"Alright. Time to go home and get some sleep. You coming?" Kakashi asked.

"I'm coming." Sakura replied, stretching her hands and yawning.

"Me too!" Naruto said, picking up all his gifts.

"Naruto, you are going to stay behind and help me clean up the room." Sasuke said, glancing at Naruto.

"WHAA- Oh no way! that is too much!" Naruto complained.

"Naruto! Consider it your training! And we shouldn't really leave Sasuke-kun to clean it all up himself, should we?" Kakashi smiled at him.

"You are a jerk! Sasuke!" Naruto pouted.

"Like I care." Sasuke retorted.

"Then we are leaving. Good night Naruto! Sasuke! Have fun cleaning up." Kakashi walked outside, waving.

"Good night you two! And happy b'day Naruto! We are so lucky to have someone like you on the team. Don't worry about the way we behave, the truth is, we care a lot about you." Sakura smiled, and hugging him.

"Really? Am I that awesome?!" Naruto asked, returning the hug.

"Don't make me change my mind, idiot!" Sakura retorted, and ran to follow Kakashi.

Naruto and Sasuke gazed after them as they walked away.

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**Hope you liked this chapter. It was a little difficult coming up with gift ideas... I suck at it, don't I? Anyway, please review! There will be one or two more chapters, and then I'm finishing it off! **


	10. Chapter 10

"Oh maaan! Why do I have to be the one stuck up here to clean up?" Naruto complained.

"Because it's your birthday, dumbass!" Sasuke smirked. "Come on. We don't have time to waste complaining. You can start wiping the cream off the floor. I will start moping." Sasuke told him.

"Ughh.." Naruto said, looking at the mentioned floor. This was going to be a hell of a work.. He started wiping the floor anyway, while Sasuke went to get a mop and a bucket of water.

"They should ban cakes.. It's too much to clean up." Naruto muttered, while at his tedious job.

"Oh? Alright then, we will just make you cut vegetables next birthday." Sasuke informed him, busy moping after Naruto.

"What! I hate vegetables. I'll make you eat them all then. Hehe.." Naruto chuckled, imagining a carrot choked Sasuke.

"Dream on, dobe. You can't even leave a smear of tomato juice on my forehead!" Sasuke advised him arrogantly, tapping his forehead.

"Arrogant bastard! Let us see about that." Naruto yelled, picking up some cream from the floor and throwing at his face. Sasuke quickly dodged it. Now Naruto was really pissed off.

"Teme..!" He shouted, grabbing a pile of colourful paper and making a ball out of it.

"Naruto.. We are cleaning up, you didn't forget that, did you?" Sasuke warned.

"To hell with cleaning!" Naruto yelled as he threw the ball with all the force he could muster at Sasuke. It hit him square on the face, leaving his eyes glinting dangerously.

Naruto guffawed. "Ah! Now look who is angry!" The next thing he knew, a bucket of water was turned upside down above him. He glared at Sasuke, soaking all over. Now this was the limit.

"Sasuke! You asshole! Look what you did now!" Naruto yelled, jumping to throw a punch at his stomach.

"Wow.. Now you actually stink less!" Sasuke retorted, grabbing his fist and throwing him to his side.

"I'll make you stink for real!" Naruto shouted, now enraged.

After a hell of a fight, Sasuke was covered head to heels in cream, with graffiti stuck all over it, and was clutching his leg in pain. Naruto meanwhile, looked as if he had taken a cream bath with his clothes on and his eyes were blue-black. Both were gasping for breath, and eyed each other suspiciously.

"Hehe.. That was fun!" Naruto grinned.

"Yeah.. But let us compromise now. Or we will never get to sleep." Sasuke suggested.

"You got it!" Naruto grinned.

* * *

"Phew! Finally! It's spotless now." Naruto stood with his hands on his hips, studying the floor.

"Alright." Sasuke said, satisfied.

"I'm gonna take a shower and sleep. *Yawn* I've never felt sooo tired." Naruto took a shower and changed into the spare clothes Sasuke had given. He flopped into the bed and was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

* * *

Sasuke, coming back from the shower, saw Naruto sprawled across his bed.

"Naruto! Move aside!" Sasuke shouted at him. Naruto was too busy sleeping to notice. So Sasuke pushed him to a side and gladly fell into the bed. He was almost asleep when he heard Naruto's muttering. "S-Sakura-chan! Glbguugbu..." Suddenly, a hand fell over him and held him tight. "Iglubyou. Sakrachang." Naruto mumbled. Sasuke was too sleepy to retort. So he was almost asleep again, when the idiot started mumbling his name. "Saske.. Camwebebezfrnz.." Sasuke pondered over it for a while in half-consciousness. "We yare alzhrdy bezfrnz, idyut.." Sasuke murmured, as sleep took him over.

Unseen by him, a happy tear ran down the corner of Naruto's wide awake eyes as he smiled.

~The End~

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**:D That's it. I'm wrapping it up. Lemme know what you think.. :D**

**And by the way, if you liked this story, try reading 'No Regrets' that I'm writing. It's about them teaming up again after the war.**

**Thanks a loooooot for reading and reviewing! :) **


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